Dirigible spotlight



W. 8. AND E. H. FARNSWORTH.

DIRIGIBLE SPOTLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 8,1920.

Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- W. S. AND E. 'H. FARNSWORTH.

DIRIGIBL'E SPOTLiGHT.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.8,1920- Patented Dec. 27, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- w. 3. AND E. H. FARNSWORTH. DIRIGIBLE SPOTLIGHT.

APPLICATION FXLED NOV. 8,1920.

1,401,246, 1 Patented Dec. 27, 1921. I

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLI$ SMITH FARNSWORTH AND EARL HINMAN FARNSWORTH, OF SAN FRANCISCO,

" CALIFORNIA.

nrnrersnn srormenr.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. 2'7, 1921.

v Application filed November 8, 1920. Serial No. 422,481.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, lVILLis SMITH FARNSWORTH and EARL HINMAN Farr s wonrn, citizens of the United States, residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have 1nvented certain new and useful Improvements in Dirigible Spotlights, of which the following is a description.

Our invention relates to improvements in dirigible spot lights and is especially useful as a form of automobile spot light. The principal object of our invention is to devise a spot light which is so connected to the steering-wheel that it will quickly and automatically direct its light to the side of the road toward which the steering-wheel is turned.

Our device automaticall shifts the direction of the path of lig t whenever the steering-wheel is turned. Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein hown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the dis closure herein given.

With the foregoing and other objects and advantages in view, our invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto appenc ed.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference numerals throughout the views;

Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the device in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device looking down 011 Fig. 1, but with the spot light upright arm shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a vertical elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1;

Fig. 4c is a horizontal section of the motion-reducing mechanism, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4; 1

Figs. 6 and 7 are elevation and *plan views respectively of another embodiment of our invention; and I Fig. 8 is a vertical section on llne 88 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, A deslgnates the body of a motor vehicle having a windindicate like parts shield B and a steering-post 1. Attached to the upper end of the steering-post is a steering-wheel 2, having spokes 3. The windshield B has the usual upright frame member l bounding it. The structure above described is the usual structure for auto mobiles and no claim of novelty is made therefor.

The dirigible spot light C is secured to the vehicle, preferably at its front end, as on the wind-shield B. The mounting comprises a stationary bracket 5 adapted to be clamped to the upright frame member 4 by a clamping arm 6 and tightened thereon by bolt 7. 'The opposite end of the bracket has a tang 8 thereon, upon which is mounted an offset arm member 9 having a split end adapted to be clamped about the tang 8 and to be adjustably held thereon by a tightening bolt 10 and a set screw 11. The opposite end of the offset member 9 has a bore 12 therein atright angles to the bore 8 through which the tang 8 extends.

The spot light supporting upright 13 i pivotally mounted in the bore 12 and is provided with a collar 1&- bearing against one face of the bore, the other end of the upright having a washer 15 and a set screw 16 thereon, said washer bearing against the opposite face of the bore, whereby longitudinal movement between the bore 12 and the upright 13 is prevented. The wear between the bore and the upright is taken up by splitting the offset member 9 at the bore and providing a tightening bolt 17 for adjustment.

The means by which the movement of the spot light is controlled by the steeringwheel comprises preferably a cord or chain 18 having suitable hooks 19 or the equivalent at its ends, one of said hooks being adapted to be detachably secured to the spokes 3 of the steering-wheel 2 and the other of said hooks being detachably secured to one end of a rocker arm 20, said rocker arm being adjustably secured to the split to pivot the lamp to keep it light in a fixed direction. Thus it will be seen that any movement of the steering-wheel and cord 18 in one direction will exert the pull on the arm 20 to oscillate the spot light upright. 13 against the tension of the spring 22 while a movement of the wheel in the opposite direction will allow the spring 22 to turn the arm 20 accordingly.

In order to prevent the light from moving through too great an'arc, we provide a suitable motion-reducing means D between the spot light and the steering wheel, said means comprising a drum 23 'mounted on the bracket 5, and said drum having a pair of apertures 2 1- and 25 therethrough, through which the cord 18 is passed. A pair of winding reels 26 and 27 aremounted on a shaft 28 in'the drum 23, these reels being connected together, and one of them being of a smaller diameter than the other so that when the cord is passed through both reels,as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a large linear movement or" the cord at the steering-wheel end will produce a correspondingly small linear move ment of the cord at the spot light rocker arm end. If desired, two cords may be used instead of one, one of the cords extending from the arm 20 to the reel 27 and the other cord extending from the reel 26 to the spoke 3. The rocker arm 20 isthreadedly adjustable on the collar 21 so that its amount of throw may be set for various diameters of steering-gear posts. 7

From the foregoing it will be apparent that any movement of the steering-wheel will be transmitted along the cord. 18, through the motion-reducing mechanism D to the rocker arm 20, so that the spot light will be swung through an arc corresponding to the are through which the steering-post is moved. 7

In the modification shown in Figs. 6,7 and 8, at represents the Wind-shield upright and C represents the spot light. A bracket 29 has clamping means at one end by which it may be clamped to the stationary upright 41: and has a vertical bore at its other end to receive a bolt 30, said bolt extending through a bore in one end of an arm 31, said arm extendin from and secured to the light C, whereby the light 0 is pivoted to the bracket 29. Y V

'A spring 32, similar to. spring 22 of the previously described modification, is interposed between the arm 31 and the bracket 29, one of its ends being secured to one of said members and its other end secured to the other of said members. A bearing member 33 is provided on the bracket 29, in which bearing member is journaled a rocker shaft 34; having its opposite ends 35 and 36 threaded and bent at right angles to the journal axis. Attached to each of the threaded ends 35 and 36 are adjustable sleeves 37 and 38 respectively. These sleeves are adjustable longitudinally of the ends'35 and 36 of the rocker arm 3 1 so that one arm may be made longerthan the other with a consequent reduction in thelinear travel of the end of the short arm when the long arm is actuated while both of said arms go through an equal arcuate distance. Pivoted to the sleeve 38 is a connecting link 39 having its opposite end pivoted to the free end of a projecting arm 40 secured to the arm 31 of the spot light 0.

The adjustments of the sleeves 37 and 38 are also intended for the purpose of using the spot light with various sizes of steeringwheel posts. Thus itwill be seen that any movement of the cord 18 in one direction will actuate the shaft 34, the connecting link 39 and the projecting arm 40 to move the spot light about the pivot 30, while any movement in the reverse direction will allow the tensioned spring to actuate the light accordingly- Whenever the vehicle is used during the 3 day, the hook 19 may be detached from the steering-wheel spoke 3 and put in any desirable place, as for instance upon the bracket 5.

Having thus described our invention it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of our invention; hence we do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the exact; form, arrangement, construction and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a steering wheel, a spot light, control means adapted to be detachably connected at one end to the spider of said wheel for moving said spot light in response to the movement of said steering wheel, and motion-reducing means whereby the distance moved through by said control means at its spot light actuating end is less than the distance through which it moves at one of said reels having a diameter smaller than the other, one end of said control means being connected to one of saidreels and the other end of said control means being connected to the other of said reels.

2. In combination with the steering wheel of a vehicle, a bracket adapted to be mounted on said vehicle, a spot light pivotally mounted on said bracket, control means adapted to be detachably connected at one end to said steering wheel whereby said spot light may be pivotally moved on the bracket in response to the movement of said steering wheel, and motion-reducing means on said bracket whereby the linear travel of said control means at one of its ends is made less signed our names in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WILLIS SMITH FARNSWORTH. EARL HINMAN FARNSWORTI-I.

Witnesses B. W. HOLEMAN, F. W. MEYER. 

